The present invention relates to a device and a method for determining the coordinates of an impact, such as for example a penetration resulting from the fall of an object or a collision with a bird, occurring on the outer surface of a body, such as the fuselage of an aircraft.
Locating impacts on the fuselage of an aircraft is currently carried out using a tape measure to measure the distances of the impact with respect to frames and stringers within the fuselage forming the internal structure of the fuselage. It is necessary to be very accurate in the determination of the position of an impact because the position of the impact has a direct effect on the decision taken regarding whether or not to keep the impacted aircraft in the fit to fly status.
The current method to determine the position of an impact requires an in-depth knowledge of the structure of the fuselage to locate from outside of the aircraft the internal frames and stringers near the impact. Locating these frames and stringers can be more difficult due to the paintwork and decorative stickers on the outer surface of the fuselage which obliterate numerous visual reference points. The accuracy of the measurement is heavily dependent on the ability of the operator declaring the impact incident.